The Bye and Bye (a copycat drink recipe)

The Bye and Bye is a cute little tavern in Portland, Oregon with a short menu of delicious vegan food. We ate there this summer when we were visiting family.

To go with my meatball sandwich, I ordered the house signature drink, the Bye and Bye.  The bartender filled a mason jar with ice, added a couple of shots of liquor, some juice, and a squirt of something from the soda gun. I loved it. The drink is fruity, but not cloyingly sweet. When I finished it, I decided that I wanted to make them at home.

When I got home, I couldn't find a recipe for a Bye and Bye, so I had to get creative. The menu said it contained peach infused bourbon and vodka. I don't have flavor-infused liquors, usually, and didn't want to buy any, so I used regular bourbon and vodka and some peach schnapps. Then I had to figure out the juice. I tasted cranberry juice and guessed that the soda was ginger ale.

I mixed it all up, and it tasted right, but the color wasn't pink enough. I tried adding some pomegranate molasses. Whoops, my drink was now brown. I thought about using some grenadine, but then I remembered that we used to make pink lemonade with grape juice when I was a kid, so I added some grape juice concentrate. Pinkness was achieved.

I've been drinking these on weekends ever since. This is a great drink anytime, but it's especially nice right now as the last heavy days of late summer ease into the crispness of fall.

Disclaimer: I only had one of these and I'm working from memory, so I might not have the juice ingredients exactly right (the liberties I took with the liquor was on purpose), and the color of mine is a little deeper than the original, as I recall. The flavor is spot on, I believe. But if you've had this drink and have any suggestions as to how I can make it closer to the original, leave me a comment!

A Pitcher of Bye and Byes

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vodka (3 ounces)

1/4 cup bourbon (2 ounces)

1/4 cup peach liqueur (2 ounces)

1 cup ginger ale

2 cups cranberry juice

2 tablespoons  purple grape juice concentrate (or 1/2 cup grape juice)

Mix all ingredients in a 1 quart pitcher. Pour over ice into 4 juice glasses or 2 large mason jars.

Makes 2 tavern-sized drinks or 4 regular ones.